PTO and Sick Leave Doubled: A Growing Trend in Personal Time Off

Paid Time Off (PTO) and Sick Leave in Job Postings on the RisePaid Time Off (PTO) and Sick Leave in Job Postings on the Rise New data from Indeed reveals that PTO and sick leave benefits are becoming increasingly prominent in job postings. From January 2020 to May 2024, mentions of PTO have more than doubled, from 16% to 34%, and those of sick leave have doubled as well, despite still representing less than 3% of postings. Emphasis on PTO in Industries Requiring Face-to-Face Work Industries that necessitate more in-office or on-site presence have a higher proportion of job postings that highlight PTO as a benefit. Key industries with this trend include: * Construction (38%) * Production and manufacturing (39%) * Installation and maintenance (40%) * Legal (41%) * Dental (54%) Underutilization of PTO Despite the emphasis on PTO in job postings, employees continue to underutilize their allotted time off. According to a report from Sorbet, an estimated 62% of Americans do not use all their PTO hours. Generation Z employees and women are particularly likely to forgo vacations. Reasons for PTO Avoidance Employees cite various reasons for not taking PTO, including: * Fear of appearing unprofessional * Concerns about their job security * Lack of a supportive work culture Strategies to Encourage PTO Utilization To address this issue, employers can consider: * Offering unused PTO as a cash benefit * Fostering a more flexible work environment * Reassuring employees that taking time off will not negatively impact their work standing

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Whether American workers are on a ‘quiet vacation’ or taking one’s time loudlyIt seems like they still don’t distance themselves enough from their work.

New data from Indeed shows that Paid time off is increasingly being pushed aside as a perk in job postings. From January 2020 to May 2024, mentions of it more than doubled — from 16% to 34%, according to a July 25 report.

Unspecified PTO leads the listings with 32% of all postings, but Indeed found that job postings mentioning designated sick leave doubled that number. Though for context, that share is still less than 3% of postings.

With a return-to-office mandate becoming the policy of the day, there’s another Indeed finding worth noting: Industries that require more time in the office or in person had a higher share of job postings that touted PTO as a benefit. Some key industries that demonstrated this phenomenon:

• 38% of jobs in construction
• 39% of jobs in production and manufacturing
• 40% of installation and maintenance work
• 41% of jobs in the legal sector
• 54% of jobs in the dental sector

One caveat Indeed researchers offer is that “PTO” can be a catch-all term for all types of leave, from new parent leave to sick leave.

Another caveat is that just because an employer doesn’t list PTO in its job description doesn’t mean it doesn’t offer it, according to Indeed.

But no matter how hard employers try to entice potential employees with PTO, it seems that employees still aren’t taking advantage of it.

The problem of unused vacation days

According to a July 24 report, an estimated 62% of Americans don’t use all of their PTO hours. from fintech company Sorbetthat analyzes the financial value of unused PTO. Not only are the majority of U.S. workers not making the most of their time off, but 5.5% of workers won’t take any time off at all in 2023.

Generation Z employees in particular are not taking vacation days and report that it is more difficult to take time off: talents between the ages of 21 and 34 take an average of one week less vacation than their peers aged 55 and older, the report found.

The report found that women are less likely to take PTO than men, and they prefer to take sick days over vacation days.

While leaders at Sorbet suggest that employers consider offering unused PTO as a cash benefit, employers may also consider ways to a more flexible work cultureFor example, leaders can alleviate employees’ fears that they will be “unprofessional” or take their work less seriously if they take time off.

The post PTO, sick leave for personal vacancies doubled: Indeed first appeared on Frugals ca.